Israel's PISA Scores: Author Questions Common Excuses

As Israel's disappointing results in the PISA 2025 international student assessment are set to be released in September 2026, the usual practice of seeking blame has already begun. While the author acknowledges that factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war have had an impact, she argues that common excuses, such as class size and economic status, are not supported by the data.

The article challenges the notion that a lack of funding is the primary cause of poor educational outcomes. It points out that Israel's per capita GDP of approximately $60,000 is high relative to its PISA scores. Furthermore, the author notes that Israel has a low student-to-teacher ratio, comparable to top-performing OECD countries, suggesting that the issue is not a shortage of teachers but potentially other systemic problems.

Examining international comparisons, the author highlights that countries with the highest PISA scores, such as Singapore, do not necessarily have smaller class sizes or lower GDPs. In fact, some high-achieving nations have larger class sizes than the OECD average. Singapore, for instance, boasts a high GDP and excellent student performance, with a significant percentage of students reaching advanced proficiency levels, far exceeding Israel's figures.

The article also addresses the student-teacher ratio, stating that Israel has approximately 2.6 million students and 260,000 teachers, resulting in a ratio of about 1:10. This ratio is better than the OECD average, with only a few countries having a lower ratio. The author refutes the idea that a high student-teacher ratio is the cause of low achievement, citing examples of countries with high achievement and high student-teacher ratios.

In conclusion, the author suggests that while Israel's education system faces numerous challenges, the commonly cited excuses of class size and economic factors are not substantiated by the PISA 2025 data. She implies that the root causes of the declining academic performance may lie elsewhere and require different solutions than those typically proposed by experts.